1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to connections of pressure and non-pressure lines and conduits to oil field equipment or between various pressure and non-pressure lines and conduits, and in particular, breechblock connections between these various lines and conduits. The invention is also directed to use of breechblock connections between pieces of oil field equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Various pieces of equipment associated with oil and gas exploration exist that must be connected to pressure and non-pressure lines or conduits (defined herein as “oil field lines”) or to other pieces of oil field equipment. While oil field equipment and oil field lines may supply pressure through the lumen of the oil fields lines to the oil field equipment in order for the oil field equipment to control and operate valves and other mechanical components of the oil field equipment are known in the art, the use of breechblock connections with the oil field lines has not been known until the present application.
“Oil field equipment” is defined herein as any piece or component of oil and gas exploration, drilling, or production, which is connected to pressure or non-pressure lines or conduits whether upon land, sea, or sub-sea. Examples of oil field equipment includes, but is not limited to, pressure and non-pressure activated pieces of oil field equipment, such as tensioners, slip-joint assemblies, slip-joint tensioner assemblies, blowout preventers (“BOP”), top drives, standpipe manifolds, choke and kill manifolds, mud tanks, water tanks, pressure lubricators, wire line equipment, coiled tubing equipment, well-head adapters, bottom hole test adaptors, i.e., tree caps, and shale shakers. Oil field lines include any lines or conduits that are connected to oil field equipment and include, but are not limited to, choke and kill lines, kelly hose connections, top drive lines, standpipe manifold lines, mud tank hook-ups and lines, water tank hook-ups and lines, shale shaker hook-ups and lines, discharge lines, flare lines, supply lines, lines between floating vessels, boats and ships, pneumatic lines, hydraulic lines, mud lines, water lines, slurry lines, liquid natural gas lines, and fluid transfer lines.
Currently, the connections between the oil field lines and the oil field equipment and between pieces of oil field equipment include threaded connections, use of clamps, use of locking mechanisms such as pins, lug locks, or set screws, use of latch-dogs, and use of bolted flanges. However, all of these require large amounts of time and manpower to install and disconnect these connections resulting in well downtime. Therefore, it is desired in the art to be able to quickly and easily install and disconnect these connections.
While the breechblock connections of the invention can be used in all of the foregoing examples, the invention will be discussed in greater detail with respect to breechblock connections of pressure lines, and in particular, pressure lines associated with riser equipment, such as tensioners, slip-joint assemblies, slip-joint tensioner assemblies, and choke and kill lines for use on blowout preventers, and specifically, different sized blowout preventers.
Choke and kill lines for use with blowout preventer (“BOP”) stacks also are well known in the art. In general, each BOP stack includes at least one choke line and one kill line. Each of the choke lines and the kill lines are releaseably connected to the BOP stack and a pressure source, e.g., hydraulic source, which are capable of providing pressure through the choke and kill lines to control the wellbore and BOP stack during drilling of oil and gas wells, etc.
In current practice, choke and kill lines are present on the BOP stack for oil or gas drilling. In some cases, a set of choke and kill lines may be connected to one size and pressure rated BOP stack and then later connected to a second size and pressure rated BOP stack. For example, the set of choke and kill lines may be rated at the highest working pressure and size for one BOP stack and then adapted to fit another size and working pressure BOP stack. The choke and kill lines remain the same for every use but require adaptation in order to be used with various sizes and working pressure rated BOP stacks.
This typically occurs when a BOP stack of one size is used for lower pressure applications and a second, larger, BOP stack is also required to address the high pressures on the wellhead or to accommodate the various volumes of oil or gas flowing through the BOP stack in consecutive applications. However, in current embodiments, the connector assembly between the BOP stack and each of the choke and kill lines can be different on the different sized BOP stacks. For example, a 21¼″ BOP stack can have a smaller connection assembly for the choke and kill lines than a 13⅝″ BOP stack.
Therefore, it is desired in the art to have a coupling system, such as a choke and kill line system, between each of the choke and kill lines and the BOP stack that is capable of withstanding high pressures and also provides quick and easy removal and installation, thereby reducing the amount of time that the well equipment is being readied for or is out of service. It is also desired in the art to have a coupling system, such as a choke and kill line system, between each of the choke and kill lines that permits each of the choke and kill lines to be connected to different sized BOP stacks universally and without requiring additional adaptation to do so.
Another concern of current coupling systems, and choke and kill line systems and other large line hydraulic or air control systems, is the amount of weight that the connections between the choke and kill lines and the BOP stack must sustain or the other pressure control systems must sustain. This concern increases as the size of the choke and kill lines or other pressure lines increase. Therefore, it is desired in the art to have a coupling system, or choke and kill line system, or other pressure line system, that assists in relieving some, if not all, of the weight forces of the choke and kill lines on the connections between the choke and kill lines and the BOP stack or on connections between pressure lines and other equipment.
As mentioned above, the present inventions address the foregoing concerns. Specifically, in one aspect of the present invention, the coupling system and choke and kill line systems, of the present invention include lines that can withstand the maximum amount of pressure envisioned on a particular wellhead or riser system and that can be used on various sized BOP stacks. This aspect of the present invention, therefore, provides a fast and efficient means of changing the choke and kill lines from one BOP stack, or other equipment, to another BOP stack or other equipment, by utilizing a connection designed specifically for this purpose. Accordingly, cost savings are realized with the connection of the choke and kill lines to the BOP stacks, or other lines to other equipment, requiring less time and manpower to accomplish.
Further, in another aspect of the invention, the coupling systems, and choke and kill line systems, of the present invention include one or more guide assemblies that can be secured to the BOP stack, or other support structure, e.g., the platform or riser superstructure, to alleviate some of the weight caused by the choke and kill lines on the connections of the choke and kill lines with the BOP stack.
Additionally, in another aspect of the invention, the connections of the oil field lines to oil field equipment and between pieces of oil field equipment of the present invention include a breechblock connection such that the connections can be easily and quickly installed and disconnected. Therefore, time savings are realized and less manpower is required to change from one piece of oil field equipment or oil field line to another piece of oil field equipment or oil field line.
Accordingly, prior to the development of the present invention, there has been no coupling system, which: provide quick and efficient connection of each of oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment; reduce the amount of manpower needed to remove and install oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment; provide quick and efficient connection of each of the oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment; and reduce the amount of manpower needed to remove and install the oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment. Therefore, the art has sought a coupling system, which: provide quick and efficient connection of each of oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment; reduce the amount of manpower needed to remove and install oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment; provide quick and efficient connection of each of the oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment; and reduce the amount of manpower needed to remove and install the oil field lines, and other conduits or oil field equipment, with other pieces of oil field equipment.